The week has come to a close, and I am very grateful to have a few days off. Thinking about how things went, and let’s face it, there were some ups and downs this week. Good news, today was on the “upside” it really was a better day on plan.
Month: February 2019
Momentum…
I had some momentum with my small goals this week that all came to a crashing halt tonight. It was a long day from when I left my house around 7:15 am until I got home around 9:00 pm. On the way home, I decided I wanted ice cream and then I made some very indulgent choices and now I have some regrets. I am uncomfortable and I know I could have done better.
While I am concerned about my food choices, I am more concerned with why I made them. I think I was looking to find a little comfort. A little something special because I felt overworked, overstressed, and overtired. Next time, I think I’ll try something different. I want to try to do something that is calming and relaxing. Maybe do some positive self-talk to acknowledge the struggles of the day, that gives me permission to release those feelings.
Click here if you want to see my action plan. Of course, I cannot guarantee that in the moment of stress that I will have the presence to do this, but I’m going to try. Thinking through what I’d like to do rather than making the same mistake over and over is better. So, making a plan is really good for me.
At the start of this post, I was feeling defeated, but now things are looking up. While I am still disappointed about my choices, I realize that I have the power to turn things around. I can celebrate that I tracked my choices, and am accountable for all of it. I’m owning it and am informed and that’s much better than just pretending it didn’t happen.
Letting these choices to overindulge or going outside of my healthy eating zone on a regular basis is how I could slide backward and start gaining weight. Not tracking is like giving myself permission to go on autopilot and all those habits could easily reemerge.
As I read over this post, I can’t help but wonder what you are thinking. I imagine that some of you recognize yourselves. I hope it helps to know that I have days that are a struggle too. Someone else reading this might be thinking, this is too much work. It is work, but for me, it’s worth it.
Pressure…
There are so many things outside of my control that sometimes I have to just step back and breathe. I have a big job and I have big professional goals and together, they create a lot of pressure for me. This is not an original problem. Lots of us deal with stressful situations and people at work so handling pressure is something we all have to learn.
I am not rolling over four points today because I went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant in NYC. I had to go into the city and it was decided that Mexican food was on the menu. So I rolled with it because being a member of WW means that I know how to be flexible. I ordered a chicken burrito bowl and had kale instead of rice. It sounds weird but it was really good. So by the end of the day today, I’m rolling over 1 point, not 4 – that’s the honest truth.
Snuggle Up & Read a literacy initiative my school hosts) is tomorrow I’m reading Mother Bruce 
I don’t have a goose costume so I’m wearing these signs my wonderful child made me! Thank you, sweetie!
I can say, I had an added bonus I walked the city at a high pace for many blocks. I would say I spent a 1/2 hour walking. So, I can put that in my “wins” column. So today, I am rolling over one point, and accumulated 7 “fit points”. I am scheduled for spin class and if I make it – I will have achieved another small goal. You know having these mini-goals is helping me to stay on track. I could have eaten a 3sp rice pudding for dessert but I decided against it because at least I’m rolling over the one point. See how that works?
Anyway, thank you for reading and for your likes and comments. It helps me to know that there are other people out there who are like me. As I close out today’s post, I want to share a picture I posted on #connect. This is one of those #TuesdayTransformation posts:
Even though today was hard I have a lot to be thankful for, good friends, loving family, a career I care about, a chance to do some good, and a family who loves me. Writing really helped me tonight to count my blessings. I recommend it if you are feeling overwhelmed.
Action Plan…
If change is something you’re after then you need an “action plan”. A goal comes in the form of two parts, a “why” and an “action plan”. The why is the endurance it keeps you striving so it’s really important! The action plan is the muscle, it’s the thing that keeps you moving forward. This is how you get across the finish line.
I made my second goal – I went to 5:15 am spin class and I had a great workout. Everyone who goes to that class is friendly and into fitness and they make me feel like one of them. As always it’s a great feeling to be part of a community. It was a lot of fun and I felt strong all day long. I am so grateful that I found an activity that I really enjoy. It makes a difference.
What’s up for tomorrow? Well, I’d like to roll over another four points. I did not roll over any points today. I ate every last one. Maybe I can stagger my food/fitness goals for the week. That might be fun to see if I can make that happen. My attitude about this is pretty much let’s try and see what happens. I want to keep it light. Know what I mean? If I don’t meet a goal, I don’t want to feel bad. This whole journey is about improving the quality of my life, not to make me feel inadequate.
I hope that you are setting goals and creating action plans to make them happen. I hope you are feeling good about your journey. I hope you are being kind to yourself. If you are trying to lose weight, no matter what your progress, you are doing something amazing.
Satisfaction…
There is this great feeling of satisfaction when I achieve a small goal. Small goals really help so much because they are doable and they all add up. Small goals help me to feel so much more confident about what I’m doing. I wanted to roll over 4 points today and I did!
Want some free unsolicited advice? I think it’s important to build yourself up not beat yourself up. Changing my lifestyle was not an easy undertaking. I have some stubborn habits and stress reactions that are not helpful when it comes to either weight loss or maintenance. Sometimes my choices set me back and I’m learning to just let it go when that happens. A bad day doesn’t mean I’m going to revert back to all those unhealthy habits. Just as a good day doesn’t mean I’m totally in control.
I’m starting to think there will always be an ebb and flow to living my life on maintenance. I realize that may sound obvious. However, accepting that intellectually is very different than real life consequences of the thing. I am going to be a work in progress forever. Really though, if we are lucky, aren’t we all?
Super Bowl…
What is it about the Super Bowl? It’s as much about the snacks and food as it is the game I was mindful of my portion sizes and snacked only on the things I wanted. I kept it together and didn’t go out for ice cream. These are the day-to-day choices that are making it possible for me to maintain weight loss. Honestly, it drives me crazy that it’s still so difficult to keep it together sometimes.
Old habits are there and they never seem to go away. I don’t want you to think that it’s not worth the effort, because it really is worth it. I feel very healthy, I can move easily and I have a lot of energy. I have my “why” it’s here right now. I don’t have to wish for it, I have it. It wasn’t given to me it was something I had to get for myself. Plus, now I have all these new habits and I can lean into those so I can manage the old ones.
The thing is I want to progress and keep building momentum. I’d like to lose four pounds. I think the best way for me to do that is to follow the WW program. I had a goal to stay in my healthy eating zone for the full month of February. I didn’t keep that goal close enough today because I exceeded my healthy zone. So, I’m just going to have to revise it. Instead, I’m going to try to roll over four points tomorrow. It’s a fresh start and it will help put me back on track. I’m going to keep my goals small and assess them from day-to-day.
My parting words… I’m going to keep working on my mindset. Even when I make choices that don’t help me out with my goals I’m going to be accountable and track them. I’m going to be more strategic with my food choices. Of course, I will track and measure, and I’m going to keep finding ways to fit in activity that I enjoy. These are things I can control.
Community…
Knowing that I have people to help me along the way is a great feeling. I do enjoy being part of a group. I had a good week, I’m down on the scale and am still sitting in a free seat.
Authentic…
This was a good week. I went outside of my healthy eating zone earlier in the week and by the end of the week I was back on track rolling over points. I found ways to get my activity in. My meals were packed each day, tracked, and measured. These are all very good things to be happy about.
I think I need to work on going to bed earlier. The mornings have been rough, it has been hard getting up and out of my warm bed on these extremely cold days. So sticking toa bedtime routine would probably be very helpful.
So the journey goes, this is what Maintenance looks like for now.
Getting to Goal 